How to Save Money With Your Paper Stock
Which paper stock you choose when printing your book can have a huge impact on your print pricing. Coated or uncoated? Glossy finish, matte finish, or standard offset? What’s the opacity? What’s the weight? The answer to these questions will determine your paper pricing.
Let’s start by clearing up a point of confusion among many looking to print their first book: the difference between bond and offset paper weights. When you purchase paper for your copy machine or home printer, you’ll note paper is listed as something like 20# bond. What that means is that when the paper is manufactured at 17 x 22″, 500 sheets of that paper weighs 20 pounds. However, offset paper for printing plants is manufactured in 25 x 38″ sheets, which is 2.5 times larger than bond paper. So 500 sheets of that same paper stock now weigh 50 pounds. Thus, 20# bond is the same as 50# offset.
Most black & white books with no photos are printed on either 50# or 60# offset. Going with 50# is adequate for most books and will save you some money. However, if you want your book to have a nicer feel to it, check out the extra cost for 60#. It might be worth it to you.
Don’t assume that the 20# bond paper you saw at Office Depot is going to be identical to the 50# offset paper you asked your printer to use. It won’t be. Different paper manufacturers produce their papers with different brightness, different opacity, etc. So always ask for paper samples from your printer.
Children’s books or coffee table books that are printed in full color need a different paper stock than black & white books. You’ll want to think about whether to bump up to a glossy stock to make your pictures really shine on the paper. If you don’t like the glare of a glossy sheet, ask your printer if they have any matte coated stocks that would bring out the color of your images without the extra sheen.
Most full color books are printed overseas, where a different standard of paper measurement is used – grams per square meter (gsm). To calculate gsm, multiply the offset weight by approximately 1.5. So an 80# gloss sheet in the U.S. would be the same as a 120 gsm sheet overseas. You’ll definitely want a thicker paper stock for your color book versus a black & white book.
Again — always get samples before making your decision!
Paperback covers overseas are usually printed using 250 gsm or 300 gsm cover stock. In the U.S. that translates to a 10 pt. C1S or 12 pt. C1S sheet. Also be sure to add gloss lamination to give your cover that extra pop!
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